33

Joe Hietpas

Class: Senior Hometown: Appleton, Wis. High School: North

Height / Weight: 6-3 / 235 Position: Catcher Bats/Throws: Right/Right

In the record book: Tied for second on the all-time doubles list with 45 (needs just two to become school’s all-time leader) … Tied for fifth on the all-time home run list with 23 … Seventh on the all-time RBI list with 128.

2000: GTE/CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America selection for second year in a row … Third-team All-Big Ten ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Appeared in all but one game, leading team in overall hitting (.376), doubles (19) and RBI (50) … His 77 hits placed him fifth on the school’s single-season list, while his 19 doubles tied him for third and his 50 RBI was good for seventh … Also topped Wildcats in slugging percentage (.561) and on-base percentage (.436) … Led team with 14 multiple-RBI games and tied for second with 22 multiple-hit games (nine 3-hit games) … Enjoyed hitting streaks of nine games (3/23-4/4), eight games (4/14-423) and seven games (3/3-3/20) … Hit safely in nine of last 11 games … In season opener, went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI vs. Northern Iowa (2/17) … Earned Big Ten Player of the Week after being named Most Valuable Player of the Homestead (Fla.) Challenge … During that tournament, went 7-for-13 (.539) with five runs and four RBI … In championship game vs. Ohio State, went 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBI … 8-for-15 (.533) with three runs and five RBI vs. Penn State (5/12-5/14) … 7-for-15 (.467) with two RBI vs. Illinois (3/31-4/2) … Went 2-for-4 in Big Ten Tournament game vs. Minnesota (5/18) … Defensively, threw out 19 of 51 base stealers (37.3%) including 13 of 27 (48.2%) in Big Ten play.

1999: GTE/CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America selection ... Academic All-Big Ten ... Played in all but one game, starting 51 at catcher, and finished third on the team with a .342 average ... Led team with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs (8 HR, 21 RBIs vs. Big Ten) ... With two years left, already ninth on the all-time HR list with 18 ... Also tied for team lead with 13 doubles and 110 total bases ... 19 multiple-hit games, including six three-hit outings and one four-hit game (SE Louisiana) ... Opened season going 2-for-4 vs. Pacific with two RBIs and two runs scored ... Went 5-for-5 with three HR and five RBIs in first two games vs. Minnesota ... Had three consecutive two-hit games vs. Purdue ... 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs vs. Hawaii ... 3-for-6 with two RBIs and three runs vs. Notre Dame ... Defensively, threw out 20 of 77 basestealers (26.0%).

1998: Made 28 starts as catcher … Led team in home runs and was second in doubles … Threw out 11 runners in Big Ten play, second best in the Big Ten in 1998 … Batted .417 during four-game series vs. Ohio State March 27-29 … Batted .356 with runners on base and .394 with two outs … Hit three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to defeat Northern Illinois, 11-8, 4/28 … Started in the No. 5 slot four times, at No. 7 once and in the No. 8 slot 23 times … Had 11 multiple-RBI games despite the low batting slot.

High School: USA Today Wisconsin Player of the Year … Appleton Post Crescent Player of the Year … First-team all-state honoree by Wisconsin High School Coaches Association … Hit .516 with nine homers, 35 RBIs and a 1.097 slugging percentage as a senior … Led Appleton North to the Fox Valley Association conference title in 1996.

Personal: Born Joseph Carl Hietpas on May 1, 1979 … Son of Donald and Kristine Hietpas … Majoring in economics.

Hietpas' Career Stats